Letter-box



J; J. BLAIR.

LETTER BOX.

' (No Model.)

No. 331,760. Patented Dec. 8, 1885.

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JOHN J. BLAIR, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 331,760, dated December 8, 1885.

Application filed J one 12, 1885. Serial No. 168,495.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN J. BLAIR, of Oincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to letter-boxes placed on doors on their jams at the entrance of houses, buildings, or apartments for the reception of mail; and it has for its object to provide a box of simple construction, readily applicable to any door, inexpensive, not easi- 1y broken, and so devised and adjusted with reference to the doors or their jambs, to which it is applied, as that it will be locked by the closing of the door and in position to open when the door is opened.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross-section of my improvement when applied to a jamb. Fig. 2 is a front face View, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view thereof.

A is a door, hung by suitable hinges, a, to the door-jamb B. To the outer face of the door, a slight distance from its inner edge, is secured a strip of wood or other suitable material, a,having an interior beveled rib, a

The mail-box G is constructed of sheet or cast metal, wood, or other suitable material, preferably in two parts. The back a consists of the back leaf of a hinge, D, and the box is secured to the jamb by screws 0 passing through this part. The front 0 and two sides,o c, constitute the other part. On the side 0 is formed the other leaf, 0, of the hinge, and at the junction of the front and side 0*, or in some other suitable position, is placed a pull or handle, 0. The side 0*, which, when closed comes next the door, has a lug or projection, 0 at right angles to its main body, and the box is secured to the jamb in such a position as to cause the end of this lug to be flush with the face of the jamlo. The hinge D is provided with a spring, d, pressing against the three-sided part and tending to keep the hinge closed. The box is provided with a slit, a in its top for the dropping of mail. When the door is open, the hingespring, acting against the three-sided part to close the hinge, the box will retain its position against the jamb, and the mail therein will be held intact until the box is opened by the handle-pull. \Vhen the mail is removed and the handle released, the spring will force the box shut, and it will remain in a closed (No model.)

position whatever be the relative position of the door. hen the door is closed, the strip a closes in against the projection 0 on the side 0* of the box, and thus effectively locks the box in a closed position.

It is obvious that the manner of securing the box may be reversedthat is, secured to the door instead of to the jamb-without changing the construction of any of the parts, and where a door opens outward this may be the preferable mode of application.

I claim 1. The combination, with the jamb of a door and a door having a strip secured to it a slight distance from its inner edge, of a mail-box, its rear forming one leaf of ahinge secured to such jamb, the sides and front formed in one piece and having a lug at right angles to the body of the side nearest the door, all constructed and arranged substantially as described.

2. The combination of thejambB and door A, having strips a, with the mail-box C, constructed of rear 0, hinge D, with its spring d, front 0, sides 0 c, the latter having the lug c and pull or handle 0, all constructed and arranged substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the jamb of a door and a door having a strip secured to it a slight distance from its inner edge, of amail-box, its rear forming one leaf of a springclosing hinge secured to such jamb, the sides and front formed in one piece and having a log at right angles to the body of the side nearest the door, all constructed and arranged substantially as described.

4. In combination with a door and its jamb, a letter-box attached to the latter, and having a hinged side adapted to beheld closed by the door.

5. In combination with a door and its jamb, a letter-box attached to the latter and adapted to be held closed by the door, said lettenbox being provided with a spring to hold the box closed when the door is opened.

6. The combination of jamb B, box 0, secured thereto, and provided with a hinged leaf having a log, 0 door A, and lug or catch a", all arranged as shown.

JOHN J. BLAIR.

lVitnesses:

HERBERT D. BLAKEMORE, ALPHoNso OARMIOHAEL. 

